Hosea 6:4-11 Series

Hosea 6:4-11 [HCSB]

May 15, 2013

Oak Park Baptist Church – Wed Bible Study Series

Hosea Bible Study

A Study of the Minor Prophets Hosea (750-725 BC)

HOSEA to Israel (Northern Kingdom)

Last time we looked at Hosea we looked at v.1-3 of this chapter and it was a cry by Hosea for the nations of Israel and Judah to repent! However, Hosea’s cry was a proclamation that came directly from God!

Thru Hosea God was telling ALL the people that IF they would repent and turn to Him that He would REVERSE His declarations about punishment and destruction! IF they would repent He would instead bring blessing! Where there is true repentance, God will bless!

However, the remainder of this chapter is NOT as optimistic or accommodating to the people! In fact, the remainder of this chapter speaks to the sorrow God knows He is about to experience because of sin and apostasy from the people! God KNOWS that even tho’ He has offered blessing for them to repent that their hearts are hardened and they won’t repent!

He is very clear that IF they would repent that He would bless them and reverse His judgments BUT He knew their hearts and knew that they would NOT change and so here in the remainder of this chapter God speaks directly about those sins…

The remaining verses of this chapter express a great sorrow that God was feeling toward His people because He knew that they were NOT going to change…

The remaining verses express God’s sorrow from several aspects. The first aspect Hosea reveals is God’s sorrow expressed thru His tremendous FRUSTRATION toward the people!

Let’s look at GOD’S FRUSTRATION in v.4-6

4What am I going to do with you, Ephraim? What am I going to do with you, Judah? Your loyalty is like the morning mist and like the early dew that vanishes. 5This is why I have used the prophets to cut them down; I have killed them with the words of My mouth. My judgment strikes like lightning. 6For I desire loyalty and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Here we see God airing His ultimate frustration with the nations of Israel and Judah because of their short-lived devotion to Him… they would promise obedience but would stray SOON after making that promise! They would never stick to a covenant with God.

V4 is almost like a parent looking at their children and saying “what am I going to do with you?”… in fact this translation actually uses that phrase!

4What am I going to do with you, Ephraim? What am I going to do with you, Judah? Your loyalty is like the morning mist and like the early dew that vanishes.

Now I want us to remember that the…

Ephraim = Northern Kingdom/Israel/10 tribes

Judah = Southern Kingdom/2 tribes

“What am I going to do with you?” is a phrase of exasperation that parents use with children who just won’t listen to them and refuse to obey them; no matter how strict they get with them or no matter how severe they punish them…

Here God is clearly exasperated with these 2 nations (of which He considered ONE nation… THEY had divided themselves… God had NOT divided them)

He is sorrowful and frustrated with the people because of their constant refusal to obey and submit to Him as their God. They would SAY they want God as their God and that they would praise Him for their blessings and the covenant God had promised!

BUT instead God knows that they are unwilling to follow thru on their words. They were NOT willing to fulfill their part of the covenant (obedience/submission) and they were constantly RUNNING away from serving God! They had found other gods they wanted to put in God’s rightful place!

They were like the wayward child who continues to disobey and fails to recognize the authority of his/her parents. The parent loves their child but will come a point and a time when the parents have to take a stand and step into their children’s lives and assert their authority.

This usually happens thru discipline! AND we find that discipline is exactly what God is promising here for the people here in Hosea…

How often does God get exasperated and frustrated with YOU? How often do we NOT do what we know God wants us to do? How often do we DO what we know God does NOT want us to do?

The Apostle Paul said that he KNEW what he should be doing and he found himself doing just the opposite and that he knew what he should NOT be doing and he found himself going the other way… This is human nature to seek our own direction and desires! BUT this is NOT God’s way! We must focus on Him and follow Him!